Category Archives: Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires and Other Monsters

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As many know, I am currently working on a comic book called Pieces for Shot in the Dark Comics. Pieces is a steampunk comic that is a blast to write and – I believe – is going to be something that people who love horror, fantasy, and steampunk are going to enjoy. I can’t say too much right now, but I’ll be adding a special section to my site just for the comic soon.

I’ve finished the first three issues, and am working on writing the next three for this arc of the steampunk comic right now, and I thought I might share a bit of inspiration I use.

Whenever I write anything, I like to have music on in the background – or sometimes blasting through the headphones. I tend to make playlists of songs that become soundtracks to whatever I might be working on at the time. I use these as inspiration whenever I need a boost during my writing. These aren’t all the songs on my list, but they should give you a good idea of the tone I’m going for with the story.

You’ll notice that I have quite a few from a band called Abney Park. I love this group, and the music is a perfect fit. However, I’ve got a few other bands in there as well, and if you have any suggestions for groups that could fit in this playlist let me know. I’m always looking for new music for my Pieces comic playlist!

Also, if you like these songs as much as I do, support the artists and buy them from Amazon, iTunes, or wherever you prefer to buy your music.

There we go, that’s a decent sampling of my current playlist. Now, I know that folks out there will have their own steampunk music and other music that they love. Let me know what else might fit along with this list so I can have some more ear candy while I’m writing.

I thought I’d let folks know that Wetwork is now available for Kindle ($1.99) and in paperback ($6.99). Click the picture below or the title to head to the Amazon page. Right now, this is an Amazon exclusive, but it will be coming to other platforms soon.

Here be vampires with nary a sparkle in sight.

For those who have read Lou vs. the Zombies, you might find a familiar name or two in this book. And for those who are looking forward to Lou Black’s next adventure, Lou vs. the Pack is getting closer. I have a whole bunch of other goodness coming soon as well.

Description: What happens when a hitman hiding from his former boss finds out that a vampire is hunting him? Joey Sanders and everyone he has ever cared for are about to find out…

From the author of Lou vs. the Zombies, Meat City, and Dead Ahead comes Wetwork, a horror/action novella.

Some interesting developments over the past couple of weeks. While I continue to toil away on my normal freelance work and try to make ends meet, I received some good news. Yours truly is going to be writing a comic book for Shot in the Dark Comics! The comic, titled Pieces, comes from the mind of Gene Tipton, publisher of the comic company.

(Once again, I’ve gotta thank Nick Grabowsky, the publisher of Black Bed Sheet Books, who published Meat City. I found out about Shot in the Dark Comics through him – they are the company turning Nick’s stories into stand alone comics seen here)

This is a steampunk/superhero styled comic that promises to be quite a bit of fun. I’ve always loved comics, and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to take over writing the book. Gene Tipton wrote the first issue, and I will be taking over duties from the second issue forward. I have some fun and wild ideas that I look forward to incorporating as well. I’ve already just about finished the synopsis for the first arc, and will be working on finishing up some scripts in the coming weeks.

In other writing news, I am going to be finishing up a few other prose projects in the next few weeks, hopefully. I am just about done writing Out in the Cold, a short horror novel. I’ve started work on Lou vs. the Pack as well, and that should be out in – hopefully- a couple of months. It’s gonna be a fun one. If you liked Lou vs. the Zombies, chances are that you’ll like this one too. Same Lou attitude, entirely different beastie and a new cast of entertaining characters.

I also have a couple of other things in the works, but I imagine people are tired of hearing about that sort of thing. I’ll try to blog about other things that might interest folks as well! I promise.

The short horror story “Dead Ahead”, which clocks in at more than 10,000 words, is now up and ready to download at Amazon. It’s going to be free on Amazon January 1 and January 2. After that, it’s just 99 cents. It also includes a free flash fiction piece called “Feeding Lizzie”.

Dead Ahead

It’s 1987 in Upstate New York. What secrets and horrors will fourteen-year old Andy Vinson and his friends behind an old taxidermist’s shop?

Give it a shot!

Plus, I may have some cool news to announce in the very near future! Yeah, I hate when people do that too, but there you have it.

Well, it’s nice to see that Lou vs. the Zombies cracked the top 100 in horror at iTunes, and Uneasy Reading is still at about the 110 or 112 mark depending on the day! Now, it would certainly be nice to see one of the zeroes disappear so I could be in the top 10 (insert appropriate emoticon here). Of course, that’s just this zombie guy’s dream.

Lou vs. the Zombies is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony, and more. If you’ve read it, tell a friend. If you haven’t read it, give it a shot.

This weekend, I will come back and try to write a proper post rather than me just going on about me. Okay, it will probably still have to do with me, just maybe not so blatantly. I’ll probably give some updates on the projects I’m doing. If only I weren’t such a busy boy, I’d have more time for this and all of the (anti)social networking I should be doing.

I love Brian Keene’s work and thought Dark Hollow was a great horror novel, so it’s no wonder this movie trailer excites so much! If you haven’t read this novel, go and grab it. It’s well worth reading.

Since I couldn’t get the video to embed here, just go to Brian’s site and watch the video. Click here.

I keep writing, freelancing daily while working on my own fiction into the wee hours. I only stop for dinner, maybe a bit of Netflix, and sleep. Although, most of the time, I try to sleep but end up watching old episodes of Star Trek (TOS) because, you know, it can’t watch itself.

However, I am making some good headway on all of the various projects that I’m doing. Wetwork is just about ready to go, and Out in the Cold is probably a week or two away from going on sale. Still plugging away on a rewrite of the outline for the short story “Dead Ahead” – it’s rough. Also, the outline for the new novella, number 2 in the Lou Chronicles, is nearly done. Lou vs. the Pack promises to be just as fun as his first adventure.

I want to make sure old Lou gets the attention that he deserves, so I’m running a sale on Lou vs. the Zombies from now until Monday, September 3 (Labor Day). Until then, the novella is going to be just 99 cents on Kindle! I’m working on a paperback version as well.

I’m also mulling over ideas for the third Lou novella. I also thought it might be fun to “interview” Lou after the third book comes out, hopefully before Christmas of this year.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to try to survive in a zombie apocalypse? Of course you have, and you’re sure that you would come out on top, king or queen of the zombie slayers too. Now you can get a small taste of that, for a couple of days at least.

This year, from September 29 to October 31 at the Fright Dome in Circus Circus in Las Vegas, experience the zombie apocalypse. And it’s not just any old zombie uprising either – this one comes from the mind of the master of the original walking dead, George A. Romero.

Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to get to Vegas this year to experience this fun-filled gore-fest. Hopefully you can. Check out this link to find out more about the experience.

I’m doing a promotion on the Kindle on 8-22-12. Lou vs. the Zombies will be free for the day. Please spread the word and enjoy some free zombie goodness. Lou will certainly appreciate it.

What happens when an over the hill mafia bodyguard has to deal with zombies invading the trailer park he now calls home? Lou Black, former Giovanni family enforcer and protector, is about to find out.Poor zombies.
(Lou vs. the Zombies is an 18,000-word horror/action novella with a touch of dark humor)

Even the best plans can have some missteps, and that’s what’s happening with my publishing schedule lately. I’m starting to make some headway though, and I’ve had some good feedback with recent stories, including Lou vs. the Zombies.

With my updated schedule, I should have quite a few things coming out in the next couple of months, much of which I will be publishing on my own. I still send some things to publishers, but I’m finding that I like the challenge of doing things on my own. Anyhow, here’s some information about a couple of the upcoming books and stories, as well as the tentative order in which they will likely release.

“Dead Ahead” – a short horror story

Wetwork – a horror/action novella

Lou vs. the Pack – a horror/action novella

These four items should get me through September and part of October in the publishing schedule. With enough caffeine, maybe sooner. Most of these are already completed or almost complete, just going through a bit of fine tuning and tweaking and fleshing out. The new Lou vs story is still in the outlining stage, but writing Lou is fun, and I should have a nice novella out before Halloween. From the title, I bet you can guess what it’s about. After these, I have a whole lot more just waiting to get out.